Oklahoma State guards Phil Forte and Jawun Evans combined for 54 points, eventually lifting the Cowboys past Central Arkansas 102-90 Monday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

Forte scored 31 and Evans added 23, while guard Jeffrey Carroll provided 20 off the bench. And all were needed as the Bears made it interesting throughout.

Guard Jordan Howard fueled Central Arkansas' upset bid, pouring in 28 points, with guards Mathieu Kamba and Derreck Brooks adding 19 and 17, respectively.

Oklahoma State improved to 2-0, while Central Arkansas fell to 0-2.

The Bears pulled within 63-62 with 11:57 remaining on a Howard 3-pointer, then went to the line with an opportunity to take the lead, but guard Ethan Lee missed both free throws.

Oklahoma State surged from there with an 11-0 run, fueled by Carroll, who drilled a 3-pointer and added two free throws during the run.

Oklahoma State led 50-42 at the half, but nothing came easily through the first 20 minutes.

Central Arkansas, picked to finish 11th in the 13-team Southland Conference, pushed the Cowboys in the first half, even pulling even at 41-41 with 1:59 to play before intermission.

Howard led the Bears with 16 points, making 4-of-5 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the foul line.

Forte kept the Cowboys in front, scoring 20 of his points in the opening half. He fired in three 3-pointers, part of a 5-of-8 shooting performance.

Early on, Forte was responsible for 11 of Oklahoma State's points in a 15-4 start. Then, after Central Arkansas made its run to tie, Forte scored four points from the foul line, pushing the Cowboys back ahead.

The teams combined for 26 fouls in a half plagued by whistles and free throws -- 17 by the Bears and 14 by the Cowboys.